Competency is defined as the ability to do something successfully and efficiently. In the medical field, it refers to the ability to do certain tasks which may range from performing a venepuncture to an exploratory laparotomy. It can also refer to skills like breaking bad news or conducting a neurological examination. A medical graduate would be expected to learn a certain set of skills to effectively manage patients and communicate with the team. Further competencies are acquired as they progress through their speciality training. For example, when a candidate does a clinical discussion on a 57-year-old female with acute hepatitis, the competencies covered may be abdominal examination, hepatomegaly and investigations into hepatitis.

The phrase 'acute patient management' is intended to be used for supervised learning activities most commonly in the emergency setting. It may also refer to a ward round or a day's admissions /ward management. It examines the candidate's clinical assessment, timely decision-making, ability to work as part of a team, time management and documentation as well as handover and communication skills. While on-call/on duty, the candidate deals with multiple patients. Therefore, a single 'acute patient management ' entry consists of multiple patient entries/summaries. For example, a Example for an entry: During the emergency take, I had the opportunity to independently manage the following presentations. The first patient was a 27-year-old male suspected of organophosphorus poisoning. After initial diagnosis based on clinical suspicion, the patient was managed with gastric lavage, a titrated dose of atropine, oxygen and supportive care. The next case was a 56-year-old male with decompensated liver disease. He was managed conservatively and planned for an ascitic tap the next day as he wished to wait for his son to arrive before commencing treatment.

A clinical discussion is essentially a structured interview between the assessor and trainee. The goal is to explore professional judgement exercised in clinical scenarios. The objectives are to

• summarise the situation effectively (communication between clinical staff)
• arrive at a provisional diagnosis
• recognise complexity
• apply medical knowledge to come up with an investigation and treatment plan
• demonstrate the ability to prioritise options based on the order of urgency
• consider implications and justify decisions.

For example, The patient is a 34-year-old male who presented in the emergency department with gradually progressive stridor, dysphagia, and neck swelling. On examination, there was an ulceroproliferative growth involving the left side of his supraglottis with narrowing of his airway as well as multiple left levels 2,3 and 4 neck lymph nodes. With a provisional diagnosis of supraglottic malignancy with neck secondaries and stridor, the patient's bloodwork was urgently sent and the patient was consented and shifted for an emergency tracheostomy and biopsies.

There are a number of common competencies that might have the particlar one you are looking for. Alternatively, you can choose the 'others' option and enter the specific procedure that you would like to log.There may also be overlap between procedures across specialities. For example, a vascular surgery competency may also appear under orthopedics or general surgery.

Yes, you can enter upto 3 procedures per entry.

An MDT or Multidisciplinary team refers to a meeting which usually includes pathologists, surgeons, oncologists, radiologists and administrators who are involved in decision-making in the interest of best possible care for patients with cancers ,chronic conditions or complex medical conditions.

You could try looking under common competencies or general medicine/general surgery. Alternatively, you can choose the 'others' option and enter it.There might also be overlap between specialities. For example, a neurology competency may also appear in general medicine.

Yes you can, though if you have an official email, that would be the better option to add authenticity.

Unfortunately, we do not have the iphone version yet.However, you can still use the app on your iPhone.At the bottom of the Safari browser, find and tap on the share icon on the menu bar – it looks like a box with an up arrow. From the list of share options, choose 'Add to Home Screen. An app-looking icon will appear on your home screen.

It is to update you on technical upgrades, site delays and new services.You will need to use the support email or the whatsapp service for your queries.

Yes you can. After you have submitted the initial entry, you will be given a link to share with the participants. All the feedback will be collected in your portfolio.